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Cubs Bats Stay Smokin’ Hot
Cliff Andersen slammed a three-run homer and Brandon Guyer drove in three runs with two-out RBI singles in the first and third innings, as the Cubs Arizona Instructional League team drubbed the Oakland A’s AZ Instructional League team 8-2 this afternoon at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa.
The Cubs got off to a quick lead, and never looked back.
Leon Johnson led-off the bottom of the first, dropping a perfectly-placed bunt down the third base line for a single. He then stole 2nd and advanced to third on a ground out, before Guyer came through with his two-out RBI single, a hard-hit grounder between second and third. (BTW, for those of you who have not seen him play, Brandon Guyer is a Matt Murton clone… they must have been separated at birth).
The Cubs put the game away in the bottom of the 3rd, and they did it the hard way, too.
With two outs and nobody on base, Ty Wright singled, and advanced to third on a line double down the right-field line by Tyler Colvin. (Last year’s #1 draft pick, Colvin just arrived at Fitch Park last Thursday, having been working out with Team USA in preparation for its one-week “tour” through the Arizona Fall League at the end of this month, and then the World Cup in Taiwan in November). Guyer followed with a two-run single, and after Marquez Smith drew a walk, Andersen clobbered his moonshot far over the 15-foot high fence in RF.
The Cubs added another run in the bottom of the 4th, as Gian Guzman reached base on a HBP to lead off the inning, followed by a line single to RF by Drew Rundle that chased Gooz to third. After Johnson popped-up to short, Wright grounded out to second, scoring Guzman.
The Cubs finished their scoring in the 6th, as Jovan Rosa singled to lead-off the inning, advanced to second on a balk, and scored on an RBI single by Guzman.
Meanwhile, the Cubs pitchers were shutting down the A’s.
LHP Chris Siegfried got the start, and went three innings (47 pitches), allowing one run on three hits and two walks. Siggy was able to escape further damage by keeping the ball on the ground (7/1 GB/FB), including a nifty 4-6-3 DP started by second-baseman Marquez Smith to end the first inning.
Smith was drafted as a power-hitting third-baseman out of Clemson, but with the organizational logjam at 3B (Aramis Ramirez, Kyle Reynolds, Josh Lansford, Jovan Rosa, and Josh Vitters), he has been playing mostly 2B in Instructs, and he has done a fine job there, too.
RHP Yuri Higgins worked the 4th and 5th innings, and although he tends to overthrow and will sometimes abruptly change his arm slot in the middle of an AB, he was effective, throwing two shutout innings. The final out in the top of the 5th was an outstanding diving stop and laser throw to 1st base by third-baseman Rosa.
18-year RHP Dae-Eun Rhee (signed by Cubs Pacific Rim Scouting Cooridinator Steve Wilson out of Korea this past July) made his second Instructs appearance in four days, throwing another 1-2-3 inning (4-3, F-9, 3-U) on just nine pitches, and wowing the scouts with his outstanding control and off-the-table splitter mixed with a 90 MPH two-seamer with movement. Once again, Rhee’s parents (who accompanied their son to the U. S. from South Korea) got video from all angles, and were (needless to say) extremely proud of their son’s performance today.
24-year old Colombian RHP Dumas Garcia (signed by the Cubs last month out of the independent South Coast League) had another impressive outing, getting the A’s 1-2-3 (K-swinging, 6-3, K-swinging) on just 13 pitches in the 7th. Garcia has an odd habit of cocking his head to one side when he throws, and what he throws is a 94 MPH fastball mixed with a killer change.
OF Kyler Burke (acquired from SD in the Michael Barrett deal) has left the Cubs AZ Instructional League team in Mesa and will be reporting to the Honolulu Sharks of the Hawaii Winter Baseball (HWB) league, replacing OF Ryan Harvey, who sustained a season-ending injury. INF Nathan Samson is the other Cubs minor leaguer hangin’ loose in Hawaii this Fall.
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) begins play tomorrow in the Valley of the Sun, and the Mesa Solar Sox (CUBS, BOS, HOU, MIL, and STL) will open the 2007 AFL season at Phoenix Muni Stadium versus the Desert Dogs (BAL, CHW, MIN, OAK, and PIT). Cubs players assigned to the Solar Sox are RHPs Matt Avery, Justin Berg, Sean Gallagher (replacing injured RHP Grant Johnson), and Rocky Roquet, SS Joe Simokaitis, 3B Josh Lansford, and OF Sam Fuld.The AFL is considered a fast track to the big leagues.
Here is today abridged box score (Cubs players only):
LINEUP:
1. Leon Johnson, CF (2-5, R, K, SB)
2. Ty Wright, DH #1 (1-4, R, RBI, K)
3. Tyler Colvin, DH #2 (1-4, R, 2B, K)
4. Brandon Guyer, LF (2-4, R, 3 RBI, K, SB)
5. Marquez Smith, 2B (1-3, R, 2B, BB, HBP)
6. Cliff Andersen, RF (1-4, R, 3 RBI, 3-RUN HR, 2 K)
7. Jovan Rosa, 3B (2-4, R, 2B)
8A. Mark Reed, C (0-2, K, SB)
8B. Josh Donaldson, C (0-2)
9. Gian Guzman, SS (1-2, R, RBI, BB, HBP)
10. Drew Rundle, 1B (1-3, BB, K)
PITCHING:
1. Chris Siegfried - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, (47 pitches -7/1 GB/FB)
2. Yuri Higgins - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (23 pitches - 1/3 GB/FB)
3. Dae-Eun Rhee - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (9 pitches)
4. Dumas Garcia - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (13 pitches)
5. Stephen Vento - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP (17 pitches)
6. Jordan Latham - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (15 pitches)
ATTENDANCE: 9
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217 Responses to “Cubs Bats Stay Smokin’ Hot”
October 8th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
I hope the Cubbies have these Indian ABs Tivo’d.
October 8th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3054807
Cuban staking his claim to the RF bleachers…
October 8th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Sweet…. I hope he can buy them.
October 8th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
can someone please quit sticking reporters in front of cuban?
longshot barely begins to cover the issue…and its his own damn fault.
October 8th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
seriously…a mark cuban piece is “fun” and its on the real-life pulse of many fans…
but hey paid sportswriters, how about telling us some REAL news about the guys who are most likely to be the guys pushing REAL CUBS ISSUES because theyre not the funny circus sideshow.
instead we get the side show while the next powers that be get the occasional business-page treatment.
yeah, this is the real world and fans/readers want to read about cuban…but most people dont even know how zell/canning are…much less much about them.
October 8th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
how ’bout that bit of 6th inning Cubbery by the Yanks!
October 8th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
For Arizona Phil?
It seems like the Cubs have stockpiled some prospects more than ever on recall. What is changing here, that we havent seen in quite some time and who might be responsible for this?
October 8th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
The last thing Reinsdorf and his Brewer loving buddy Bud want in Chicago is a guy who’ll spend $150 million a year on payroll and make headlines himself. As much as I’d like it to happen I just can’t imagine it.
October 8th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
quite honestly…and not to rain on parades…
but we’re just hearing more about these lower prospect guys because we get more info abou them the past many years.
we’ve had more than a few gems hidden in rookie/A/AA over the years we just never really heard much about with as much info as we can now. in the early 00s and before you had to go to a certain few websites and/or magazines…today you got blogs with guys like AZ Phil and expanded publications with good backing (scout.com, etc) out there giving us all a lot more info.
we no longer have to rely on a few publications and the few friends/contacts we may have made…we got the shared knowlege of many people who read these publications and combine the knowledge of all the contacts.
we’ve been talking about 19 year old ceda since he came over and have had lots of info to follow his career with…neat stuff.
October 8th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1.....520033555/
None of the 5 pictured caught the ball. It dropped for an infield single.
October 8th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
hahahaha ryno!
oh man…
1 “i dont know where it is”
1 “im looking right at it”
1 “im staring into space”
2 “we’re looking at each other”
sigh…
October 8th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
#10 - “hey, where you guys playing golf this winter?”
October 8th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Fantastic. Yankees lose. Torre out. A-rod destined for the Cubs.
October 8th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Kenny Lofton vs Josh Beckett, somewhere that strikes a chord…
October 8th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
while I agree Cuban is a longshot, if he puts in an offer that blows everyone out of the water, Trib’s going to have a hard time explaining it to their stockholders. And MLB is going to have hard time explaining in court to the Trib stockholders why they weren’t allow to maximize their profits in the class action lawsuit.
Now I’m not naive enough to think that MLB can’t manipulate the situation in their favor, just saying I don’t think it’s such a remote possibility as people want to make it just because Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t like him.
Money talks and the owners I believe get a cut of whatever the Cubs sell for plus it raises the values of their ballclubs.
October 8th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
#10 - “any of you guys boras clients? shoot - let’s buy this bitch, put in a jumbotron, and make some REAL cash.”
October 8th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Rob, I agree it will be interesting to see how this plays out, because Cuban is doing the only thing he can do to maximize his chances: he’s garnering public support and taking his bid very public. That way, it will be difficult for MLB to make him go away quietly through the usual bureaucratic methods.
It would be interesting if Cuban said publicly “I will top any offer by $100 million” or something similarly bold. His only real hope is an end run like that — going through the normal formal process won’t work, they will quietly shut him out. From his standpoint, if he really wants the team, he has nothing to lose.
He has to be approved by the other owners, but it would be fascinating to watch the fireworks if they shut him out when he is clearly the high bidder.
October 8th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
although if I recall this correctly, I think Zell technically bought the Trib already and technically he’s selling the Cubs so maybe the whole stockholder thing is a moot point. Not sure to be honest….
Still no matter who’s behind the money, if it’s $100 million more than anyone else’s bid, you’re going to start getting folks attention.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:04 am
“Money talks and the owners I believe get a cut of whatever the Cubs sell for plus it raises the values of their ballclubs.”
This isn’t the Expos, the owners don’t get a cut. The second part is the main concern of the other owners though. There may be an old boy network, but I think Cuban’s main problem will be fear that he’s another Steinbrenner and that he’ll cause salaries to escalate. The NBA’s salary cap is much harder than MLB’s. No one has seen Cuban operate in that kind of environment.
The other thing is what if he becomes a Drayton McClain and gets rid of all the baseball people so he can throw money at Carlos Lees and Woody Willliamses of the world? What we want is a deep pocketed owner who cares, but who knows enough to let the basebabll people make the decisions, I doubt that Cuban would fall into that group.
************************************************
How come so little Josh Vitters in the Instructs?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:06 am
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=53057
Barry Rozner not an Aramis fan
October 9th, 2007 at 12:08 am
a shimmer of hope from McDonough…
“We’re going to do all we can to make this team better,” he said.
He did come through last off-season…
October 9th, 2007 at 12:19 am
“Barry Rozner not an Aramis fan”
wow…when’s he gonna call for marching in the streets?
dude’s got a…umm…strong opinion.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:24 am
I hope so, Rob. The fans and players are going to want him so if he handles it right (and he may be an ass but he is a smart businessman) it may be very hard for the other owners to deny him. Let a Cub fan in Congress threaten to take another look at baseball’s anti-trust exemption. That always gets the owners’ attention. Of course, that’s assuming there are even anti-trust laws anymore. The whole idea of busting up trusts seems like some quaint idea that went out when Huey Long got shot.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:25 am
“The best thing about him is that he’s a realist, and he doesn’t pretend to have what he doesn’t, or a play a way he can’t.”
and wtf does that mean?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:28 am
Thanks, AZ Phil. This is the second time you’ve come away impressed with Dae-Eun Rhee. I was wondering where you thought he’d be next April. He’s young, so extended spring training seems likely but does he seem advanced enough for Peoria?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:35 am
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/40823/
I want a degree in Reggie Sanders too!
October 9th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Rob, I was sent to purgatory for a fun little link to a funny internet video. Help a brother out.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:44 am
My email to Barry Rosner:
“You’re an idiot.
Would you please SHUT YOUR MORONIC MOUTH!!!!
Ramirez is the best third baseman the Cubs have had since Santo left!!! That was over 30 years ago. And you don’t like him cause YOU THINK he’s selfish.
No one on the team cares, but hack journalists like you do. And then you want Arod? AROD? Arod’s attitude make Ramirez look like Ernie Banks!
Who the hell needs a third baseman who hits over .300 with 30+ homers and 100 RBIs? Not you!”
I actually sent this.
October 9th, 2007 at 2:43 am
Let me guess, Chad. Did Rozner respond back with something along the lines of, “You might want to try watching the games next year”?
October 9th, 2007 at 2:43 am
(That’s what he said when I e-mailed him.)
October 9th, 2007 at 5:43 am
That Rozner article is really idiotic. I’m still baffled by Ramirez’ disappearance in the playoffs, but to suggest trading him is beyond the pale.
Rozner does two cheap things: he intimates that he’s giving you insider information (those in the know see Ramirez as selfish), and he baselessly links Ramirez to the now-disgraced Sosa. Ergo, you emotional Cubs fans, move him out, am I right?
No. There is no actual information in this piece to suggest that Ramirez is some kind of bad or selfish presence on the team. Having an injury checked out does not count. Running out popups and fly balls would look better, sure, but can we please end the practice of crucifying players because they’re not flop-sweat weenies like Eckstein or Byrnes? I can remember exactly one instance in which Ramirez’ lack of “hustle” actually mattered — a 2006 game in which he loafed to first and turned a double into a single. Hardly a capital offense, especially when you consider the massive production Ramirez has brought, and can still bring, to a team that might as well have been playing a dead cat at third for decades.
This kind of listless, selfish column-writing has to stop. Trade Rozner!
October 9th, 2007 at 6:40 am
and there are some undercurrents that Rozner is JUICING. Unfortunately that article was written on a sugar high from the orange stuff. He’ll have a headache when he comes down though.
October 9th, 2007 at 7:22 am
I understand what’s being said about Ramirez and Rozner, and I’m not unilaterally suggesting we trade Ramirez. However, IF the ownership transfer doesn’t prevent it, I am in favor of ANY trade that improves and/or makes the Cubs reaching the World Series in 2008 more likely. Stone said it best on the SCORE yesterday that the Cubs have a very nice core returning next year, but they’re still going to have to make moves to get farther than they did this year.
……..and not to sit on the fence, YES I would gladly trade Ramirez for ARod if given the opportunity. In my opinion, ARod is an upgrade and the Cubs need to upgrade their hitting, need a legit #2 or #3 starter, and another bullpen arm (that could be Hart and resigning Wood).
October 9th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Acquiring A-Rod is by definition an “upgrade” no matter where you play him in the field because he was the best offensive player in baseball this year and a capable defender.
But I don’t see acquiring A-Rod as likely. If Steinbrenner decides not to keep Torre as manager today, he will be doing it to win ASAP. And that means he will open up the checkbook to keep A-Rod.
Between the cost of not resigning Torre (who was paid $7.5M this year; Girardi could probably be signed for less than half that), declining the $16M option on Abreu, and not paying Roger Clemens to make cellphone ads, Steinbrenner will have the cast to meet A-Rod’s demands.
October 9th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Puff piece on L. Rothschild in the Sun Times today, in which we hear for the thousandth time that Rothschild won the series with the Marlins in ‘97, that Jim Leyland wanted him, and that Mark Prior doesn’t blame LR for his health problems.
I’ve gone through my issues with Rothschild in these pages before:
1) The Cub pitching staff is pretty much a changeup-free zone. Rothschild seems to have missed that twenty-year trend.
2) Cub relievers are, in Len Kasper’s term, “slider happy.” Kasper applied the term to Marmol, who began the year as a fastball pitcher; but it applies even more to Dempster and Wuertz, who have lost all confidence in their fastballs, even though they throw fairly hard.
3) Who is Larry Rothschild? What is his pitching philosophy? Like it or not, Dave Duncan has an approach to pitching that you can capture in three words: pitch to contact. What Greg Maddux would tell pitchers under his tutelage is not hard to guess: Change speeds and move the ball around.
If I had to guess at LR’s motto, it would be “Keep throwing the same pitch until they hit it.”
4) Rich Hill was better toward the end of last year than he was this year. Zambrano was better last year. Wuertz has not improved in three or four years. Marquis was good in April and May and then he reverted to being the same pitcher that the Cardinals left off of their playoff roster in ‘06.
For the record, the Marlins scored 30 runs in the ‘97 Series, while the losing Indians scored 37, or 5.3 runs/game over seven games.
October 9th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Well, my 3 days of mourning are up, so let the postmortem begin.
Let’s see: An expected regular season of roughly .500 ball, unexpected division title, expected quick exit from playoffs, but unexpected and embarrassing sweep. Overall not a horrible year when you step back and see where they came from, but with very few injuries, a horrible division and all the money spent this offseason, I know many other Cubs fans expected more.
It was really disappointing to see some of our top players shit the bed in the playoffs. Soriano, ARam, Lilly, Hill and even Lee getting no XBH’s and K’ing 4 times were the culprits. I would be remissed if I also didn’t say Lou dropped the ball more than a couple times. The Z decision really set a bad tone in Game #1, that it appeared the team couldn’t break. Overall Lou did about what I expected of him as a typical old school manager. I was a bit surprised he wasn’t more “fiery”, except for that one time this year.
85 wins and a division title, not bad. Gave us some excitement and made us want to watch baseball in SEPT and OCT. Hopefully they can build on it for 2008.
Go Cubs!!
October 9th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Link to the Rothschild puff piece referenced by VA Phil:
“Rothschild should be revered”
http://www.suntimes.com/sports.....09.article
I thought newspapers were supposed to be objective in this country. This is clearly a “save my job” story inspired by Rothschild and a reporter who likes him. And with lead quotes from Mark Prior? Mark Prior?
The article is accurate in stating that the Cub pitching staff was relatively injury-free this year. If you don’t count Prior and Wood. Smarminess aside, someone deserves credit for that, but I think that has to to with the Cub training staff and Lou’s decisions on when to use and take out pitchers.
That said, it would be silly to make him the fall guy for the failure of two of our three starters in the three game sweep. That’s just baseball. For the same reason we don’t give credit to Rothschild for the the semi-trailer truck wide strike zone Dontrelle Willis enjoyed in the 1997 World Series, let’s not blame him for the 2007 sweep.
October 9th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Clearly there needs to be more changes to make this team better and WS caliber. Here are a couple that I hope the Cubs brass considers this offseason.
1) Need another very solid top of the rotation starter to go along with Z and Lilly. Z was not very good this year, and not what one would expect from their supposed “ace”. He was very erratic, more so that usual with his ERA, WHIP and HR’s allowed going up and his K’s going down. Lilly did fine, not counting laying an egg in the postseason, and no reason to expect he won’t put up similar numbers next year. Marquis, after having a good first 2 months, reverted back the Marquis I thought we were getting all along. I think it is much more likely he gives us the numbers from the final 4 months most of next year, which won’t be pretty. Rich Hill did as good as can be expected. At this point, I don’t know how much better we can expect him to get for next year. While Marshall can also fill into the bottom of the rotation, the Cubs clearly still need another top of the rotation guy. And that should be priority #1 in the offseason.
2) Upgrade at the middle IF Theriot & Fontenot are just not the answers. These guys are nice guys to root for and hustle and play hard, but their talent is limited. DeRosa, did better than I thought, but IMO he is still the perfect utility guy to play RF, 2B, 1B or 3B to give guys rests or in replacement for injuries.
3) Move Soriano down in the lineup Yeah, I know the splits, and yes I still don’t think it makes all too much of a difference, but it would be my preference to have him down in the lineup with the leading HR hitter on the team, especially when he isn’t able to run.
4) The Kendall trade, along with Bowen trade were a waste and did nothing to help the team. Soto earned the right to go into ST next year as the favorite for the job and as long as he doesn’t blow it, should get it with Blanco as his backup. Also, Soto saves on money.
5) Improve OF (CF & RF - preferably LH) I know Hendry tried to dump JJ last offseason and he couldn’t get any takers, so I can’t imagine him being able to dump his this offseason after watching his SLG go down so dramatically, but if he can, do it. His defense, while slightly improved is still not very good and his power drop was amazing. Murton can’t play CF and is a shaky RF at best. I wouldn’t mind keeping him as a 4th/5th OF, but he would be more useful to us as trade bait. A decision needs to be made about Pie. Unfortunately the best one right now appears to stick him in Iowa for another year as he clearly was out of his league this year in the bigs. So that potentially can leave us with 2 holes out there. If we could get a very nice bat for RF, preferably lefthanded, I wouldn’t go crazy if Pie ended up in CF Opening Day becaseu his defense is so good and it would also save some money to upgrade the other positions needed.
6) Trade Dempster I would never count on this guy in a big spot and he is relatively cheap in this market at $5.5 Million for a closer. We have Howry, Marmol or even Wood (if he comes back) that can close and likely not do much worse.
7) FIRE HENDRY I still think it is time for a new GM even though his team finally made the playoffs again. This team won 85 games in a horrible division, with very few injuries and spent a gazillion dollars this offseason to upgrade this team. Still not good enough, IMO. I understand with new ownership not yet being ready and won’t be until after the new year, it will be very hard to make that change, but there are a couple good GM’s out there now that would be a better fit than Hendry. At worst, I hope new ownership doesn’t give him an extension and waits and see how 2008 goes before reupping him if that is their decision.
Flame away…:)
Go Cubs!!
October 9th, 2007 at 8:50 am
the Cubs … need a legit #2 or #3 starter
What? I have said this over and over again.
Lilly was one of the best #2’s in the league.
Hill was one of the best #3’s in the league.
While it would be nice to add another top starter, it is far from being a need for the Cubs.
October 9th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Also let me add, I have bashed Selig many times on here about many things, but I have to give him props on leveling the playing field some. Here are the teams in the playoffs based on total payroll (salary ranks according to usatoday):
#1 - NYY
#2 - BOST
#4 - LAA
#8 - CHC
#13 - PHIL
#23 - CLEV
#25 - COL
#26 - AZ
And teams that made it to the LCS were #2, #23, #25 and #26. Not bad…
Also, let it be mentioned that the teams with the top 2 regular season records in each league made it to the LCS, which is nice to see too.
October 9th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Need another very solid top of the rotation starter to go along with Z and Lilly.
Seriously… everyone crying about needing another top starter is strange.
There were only a handful (if that) of teams in MLB who had a better 1-3 than Z, Lilly, and Hill. And that was even with Z’s struggles this year.
And to say that they need another starter to go with Z and Lilly? Well Hill was better than Z all year, and had almost identical numbers to Lilly.
Lets compare the two (L = Lilly, H = Hill):
Innings: L: 207, H: 195
K’s: L: 174, H: 183
ERA: L: 3.83, H: 3.92
ERA+: L: 119, H: 116
WHIP: L: 1.14, H: 1.19
BB: L: 55, H: 63
HR: L: 28, H: 27
Lilly was very slightly better, but in reality their numbers couldn’t be much closer.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:02 am
I think the way this team finished the regular season is a much more accurate indicator of their talent than the way this team began the season. If we got a first half similar to the second half, we win more than 85 games. That’s not the GM’s fault.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Dave,
I would be happy with a #2/#3 guy. Doesn’t need to be Johann Santana. But also, the Cubs had 0 starting pitching injuries this year, I can’t imagine that happening to the Cubs back-to-back years. Also, i think marquis is going back to what he was with STL. I still would like a starting pitcher.
1) Z
2) Lilly/New Guy
3) Lilly/New Guy
4) Hill
5) Marquis/Marshall/Prior/Whoever else
October 9th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Don’t think Hendry will be fired by the new ownership. In five years as GM, he has had two playoff teams, which could have easily been three if not for the collapse of ‘04. I’m younger than most here, but isn’t that unprecedented over a five-year period in the modern Cubs era?
Of course, Hendry has also put together 2 very shitty teams, so his track record is far from spotless.
I guess I agree with Manny….. I hope the new ownership waits to see how 2008 goes before agreeing on any extension.
I’m definitely not on the “Fire Hendry” bandwagon yet though. All fans typically hate their GM’s…. it could be a lot worse.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Again… I don’t mind another starting pitcher.
BUT…
It is definitely not a pressing need. And there are VERY few decent starting pitchers available (at least via free agency).
But I still don’t get the idea that Hill is a 4. Or that the Cubs need someone to go along with Z and Lilly, even though Hill is as good as Lilly and was arguably better than Z this year.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Wes:
“I think the way this team finished the regular season is a much more accurate indicator of their talent than the way this team began the season.”
I agree…The team finished the season 34-33 in their last 67 games.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:15 am
I agree…The team finished the season 34-33 in their last 67 games.
Or…
The team finished 62-46 over their last 108 games. That is a .574 rate, which over a full season would be 93 wins.
And before VA Phil starts complaining about partial season splits, if anyone thinks that the first 54 games would a good indicator of this team’s ability, they didn’t watch much baseball this year.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:17 am
dave:
“But I still don’t get the idea that Hill is a 4. Or that the Cubs need someone to go along with Z and Lilly, even though Hill is as good as Lilly and was arguably better than Z this year.”
Hill wouldn’t be your typical #4, but that is where I would put him if we landed another #2/#3 starter. Of the three returning starters, I would guess that Hill would be most likely to have a down season next year from this one. OK, how about another starter to go with Z, Lilly and Hill…better? Oh yeah, can’t have enough pitching!!!
October 9th, 2007 at 9:19 am
And the team was 2-9 in the last nine games, including the playoffs. I think a number of players did have trouble performing under real pressure.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Time to flame a few of Manny’s point (not really, just interjecting my thoughts)
1) Need another very solid top of the rotation starter to go along with Z and Lilly
This doesn’t exist without paying an arm and a leg. Ideally an upgrade would be nice, but not one of the most pressing needs especially at the price. While lacking a true ace, the rotation 1-3 is as good as any in the league and Marquis is a good 5. Only Lilly has much of an injury history, so tender Prior a contract and live with the 1-2 spots that are filled by Prior/Marshall/Hart etc.
5) Improve OF (CF & RF - preferably LH)
In CF, let Pie play. We need some min salary guys to be productive. He’s shown what he has in AAA. Throw him in to start the season batting 7th or 8th and see what he does. At least, he contributes good D.
For RF, am I the only one who thinks Abreu looks nice if the Yanks decline his option? Lefty bat with good patience and OBP to bat 2nd in front of the big boppers. And I agree Soriano should move down in the order, but it may be a moot point to argue.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:22 am
“The team finished the season 34-33 in their last 67 games.”
Nice manipulation of “how they finished”. They also finished with the second best record in baseball over their last 100 games or so.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:22 am
dave and Jedi-
You both make good points. I mean if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but I just think no team can have enough pitching and if a good pitcher is available we should go for it. But you guys are right it isn’t the #1 need.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Navin — October 9, 2007 @ 12:28 am
Thanks, AZ Phil. This is the second time you’ve come away impressed with Dae-Eun Rhee. I was wondering where you thought he’d be next April. He’s young, so extended spring training seems likely but does he seem advanced enough for Peoria?
=============================
NAVIN: Dae-Eun Rhee reminds me of Robert Hernandez. Same lanky physique, amazing poise for an 18-year old, and excellent control.
I believe Rhee will almost certainly start 2008 at EXST, and then will probably go to Boise when the short season leagues begin play in June, although he could remain at Fitch Park for the entire ‘08 season (EXST, AZL Cubs and then Instructs).
As of right now (and this is very much subject to change), I would think Ryan Acosta, Jeffry Antigua, Alberto Cabrera, Oswaldo Martinez, Dae-Eun Rhee, Ryan Searle, and Larry Suarez (presuming they are all healthy) will be the pitching prospects to watch at EXST 2008.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:33 am
I whole heartedly agree pitching depth is a great thing if you can pull it off. If we have to give up something in a trade though, I’d rather have those assets allocated for a good RF or SS over another starter.
That’s why I think it’s insane to non-tender Prior. As much of a fallboy as he’s been the last few years, it’ll cost about 3 mil or so for one year. Chances are he doesn’t do anything or gets hurt again, but if there’s even a 5% chance he becomes a legit 2 or 3 or even a league average pitcher again, it’s worth it. That’s a much better gamble than trading Murton/Cedeno, etc for known mediocrity or giving Lohse 3/44. I kid, but really Lohse in this market won’t be too far off a Lilly contract.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:38 am
In five years as GM, he has had two playoff teams, which could have easily been three if not for the collapse of ‘04. I’m younger than most here, but isn’t that unprecedented over a five-year period in the modern Cubs era?
NL, 2003-2007
St.Louis STL 451 358
Atlanta ATL 450 360
Phildlpa PHI 434 376
Houston HOU 423 387
LosAngls LAD 419 391
SanFranc SFG 413 395
SanDiego SDP 410 401
ChicagoC CHC 407 403
Florida FLA 406 404
NewYorkM NYM 405 404
Arizona ARI 378 432
Colorado COL 375 436
Washngtn WSN 375 435
Milwkee MIL 374 435
Cincnnti CIN 370 440
Pittsbgh PIT 349 460
Hendry’s done nothing special, especially given the resources at his disposal.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Hendry’s done nothing special, especially given the resources at his disposal.
BUT.. .that also shows he hasn’t been awful either.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Nice year by our staff and all but Z and his 100 walks a year aren’t the makings of a true ace pitcher. Lilly won’t be as good next year imo. I still hold out hope that Rich will progress. It’s a nice top 3 and Marquis will do what he does, eat up innings, give you a shot to win 50-60% of your games.
CURT SCHILLING for 2008!!!!
But there’s nothing else out there unless the Cubs can pull a trade with Marshall and some other pitching prospects. I imagine the 5th starter will be a battle of Hart, Gallagher, Marshall, Prior, Holliman and maybe even Samardzija.
And somewhere in there they’ll need to find another home run bat unless they’re banking on Soto for extra power. Wouldn’t mind an upgrade at SS.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:10 am
dave:
“BUT.. .that also shows he hasn’t been awful either.”
So is being nothing special and not awful OK with you? Mediocrity is not OK with me.
And look at Ron Galt’s numbers, the 3 worst teams over the past 5 years are in the Cubs division. So we play in a shit division, and had tons of money/resources to play with, but we are 4 games above .500….UGH!!!!!!
And all that doesn’t include a crappy farm system, that might very well be getting worse.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Rotoworld picked up on a LaRussa to Yanks rumor fwiw….
October 9th, 2007 at 10:13 am
What farm system is Manny talking about?
October 9th, 2007 at 10:20 am
wish arod would just go sign his yanks extension…
yanks are paying him “only” 16m on his contract as it is…tack on 2-3 years at 20+m a piece and the yanks STILL make out ahead while arod gets his loot.
arod is gonna be a media enigma no matter where he goes so its not like leaving NYC is gonna take the spotlight off him…just the spotlight at familiar places.
i dont see how the yanks can afford to not extend him and get into a bidding war for the suddenly-#1style-FA mike lowell.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:23 am
What farm system is Manny talking about?
I was wondering the same thing…
And no - mediocrity is not acceptable. But I also think that you can kind of throw out 2006. A combination of injuries, bad luck, and bad decisions seems like an outlier in the last four years.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:24 am
btw…what’s with the talk of ‘firing’ joe torre?
i heard he was under contract for 08 earlier, but everything on the net ive run across says he’s a “FA”.
…but a lotta the media are still using the word “firing”…
what’s what?
October 9th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Rob G. — October 9, 2007 @ 10:12 am
Rotoworld picked up on a LaRussa to Yanks rumor fwiw….
============================
ROB G: And as for the Cardinals, how about Joe Torre? He had his best year as a player in STL. He even won an MVP there. And Joe Girardi would seem like a good fit in STL, too, especially since he wants to move back to the Midwest.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:27 am
And as for the Cardinals, how about Joe Torre?
Probably not cause Joe Torre wants to win. :)
Cards seem like they might be in some trouble for a few years imo.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:28 am
STL fans seem to be very distracted by the whole larussa thing and very caught up in it.
let em…
psst, cards fans…your problem isnt a 60 year old white dude who bats the pitcher 8th…its the pitching, stupid.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:30 am
crunch,
ARod wants and is going to get like 7-10 years for around $30 million per. The NYY just tacking on 2 years at around $20 million per would be a slap in the face. If the NYY really want him, they should come to him with a 5 year extension at $30 million per. Then ARod would make:
2008 - $27.0 million ($8.116 million paid by TEX)
2009 - $27.0 million ($7.1015 million paid by TEX)
2010 - $27.0 million ($6.087 million paid by TEX)
2011 - $30.0 million
2012 - $30.0 million
2013 - $30.0 million
2014 - $30.0 million
2015 - $30.0 million
Total of $231 million over 8 years with TEX paying $21.3045 million of that. Then it would come down to if ARod wants to be a Yankee, because i don’t see how anyone goes much higher than that to make it a nobrainer to go elsewhere for ARod.
It will be very interesting though.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Rob G.:
“What farm system is Manny talking about?
dave:
“I was wondering the same thing…”
The one that has fallen in the rankings at BA now for the past 5 years and will stay the same or get worse this offseason.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:33 am
irod’s 13m option picked up.
that’s nearly 1.2m per walk… =p
yeah, he’s not getting paid to walk…i know, i know…
October 9th, 2007 at 10:35 am
the one that produced 3/5 of our starting rotation, has another 3-4 guys potentially vying for a spot next year, and probably 3 starting position players next year and our future closer, not to mention a few bullpen arms? You mean that one?
October 9th, 2007 at 10:37 am
“ARod wants and is going to get like 7-10 years for around $30 million per.”
who is gonna give him 30m?
maybe if he was 26 instead of 32…
i could see 20+, myself, but i dont see anyone giving him 30m-ish for that many years. 5yr 150m?
October 9th, 2007 at 10:37 am
crunch:
“i heard he was under contract for 08 earlier, but everything on the net ive run across says he’s a “FA”.”
Joe Torre is on the last year of his deal, so he will be a FA just like LaRussa in a few days.
“…but a lotta the media are still using the word “firing”…”
Yeah, many of them used the same word with Dusty too. Go Bad Journalism!!!
October 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am
MANNY: I’d agree with most of your assertions, except, perhaps the #3 pitcher - but it couldn’t hurt, either. If Hendry is fired - who is the replacement? Jocketty? Pry Scherholdz away from the Braves?
Whomever it is, I’d like to have someone who will be able to field teams that will be in contention every year.
It seems as if the top three starters are set with this org. Lilly, until the playoffs was a good #2 guy.
I would think Marquis will be decent trade material - the club now has enough decent inventory to fill the #4 and #5 from within, I believe.
And, don’t forget: Ryan Dempster wants to start again!
October 9th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Rob G.:
“You mean that one?”
HA HA Yeah that one.
I think some Cubs fans WAY overvalue the Cubs “talent”. It seems they like to fall in love with them. Oh well, i just want to see them do it at Wrigley and unfortunately for the most part they haven’t been able to.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:44 am
crunch:
“who is gonna give him 30m?”
We will see. SF, LAA, NYY, BOST, CHC all can do it for sure. We will see though. If he opts out of his deal, he knows he has at least $27 million per year lined up somewhere.
Besides who becomes new Cubs owner, that might be the most interesting situation to play out this offseason for me.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:46 am
E-Man:
“If Hendry is fired - who is the replacement? Jocketty? Pry Scherholdz away from the Braves?”
Neither of them would be bad, but also include Ryan, as he might be my first choice. Some good options, i think.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:50 am
how can someone slam hendy and want “do nothing” jocketty…the king of the scrap pile pickup?
jocketty has stood by for years riding his gambles of scrap pile pickups, extending injured vets, and riding pujols for all he’s worth. even when he’s got money to spend he throws it at weird crap.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:57 am
I’ll leave aside the “fire Hendry” debate because I think that’s one we will debate until the new owners are in place. I don’t want to fire him right now because I don’t want the front office to be in a caretaker’s hands through the winter. Hendry isn’t great but he isn’t Allaird Baird or Littlefield either.
I agree with Manny’s points 1-5. I think teams with our budget should always look to upgrade their starting pitching every off-season. But top-of-line rotation guys are not really available as free agents this year. But Carlos Silva could be useful. And I could see Hendry taking a chance on a Matt Clement as an injury reclamation project a la Wade Miller next year.
As for our closer situation, it will be interesting to see if the Twins pick up Nathan’s $6M option for next year. I expect they will, as that is a relative bargain for a closer of his caliber and he is eminently tradeable.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:58 am
With Angels quick exit, they will be big players for Arod.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Dude, Jocketty won a title. End o’ story.
I’m happy with the Hendry/Piniella combo myself. Hendry relies on his manager probably to a fault (see Baker, Dusty) to let him know what the ballclubs needs are and where the deficinies lie. So far they seem to work well together. I guess the same could have been said in 2003 though.
Hendry though is pretty well respected by his peers from what I gather, doesn’t have any real “enemies” out there like Beane or Williams who refuse to do business with him. He certainly will do whatever it takes to fill the needs of the ballclub when they arise - also probably to a fault (see Pierre, Juan). Agents and players for the most part respect him.
I do wish he had a little more of a “plan” on how a team should be built rather than just trying to gather whatever is the best available.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:00 am
But Carlos Silva could be useful. And I could see Hendry taking a chance on a Matt Clement as an injury reclamation project a la Wade Miller next year.
Oh no you didn’t, Carlos Silva? That dude only has a job because he’s Johann’s little buddy. And I’ll torch TCR if they bring Clement back. Nice 3-4 years ago, but we got 4-5 arms that can do what he’ll be able to do.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Neither of them would be bad, but also include Ryan, as he might be my first choice.
Considering the track record of Ex-Twins who join the Cubs, would we really want to take a chance on the guy who replaced McFail?
Ryan’s also still working with the Twins, just in a semi-retired role. He said he was burned out on the job, so he’s not really available - at least not this year.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:03 am
Poor Angels, I applaud their desire to build from within, but talk about a team that could have been so much better with just one more bat behind Vlad and they had plenty of prospects and opportunities to do so.
I know they had a deal for Miggy in place before Angelos axed it, maybe they’ll try again for that. If Arod isn’t an option, they should jump all over Adam Dunn if he becomes available.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Well McDonough already said he was happy with Hendry and Piniella and new ownership won’t be in place until next year. One more year of Hendry at least.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:07 am
there’s so little work to be done with the 08 team its not worth firing hendry anyway…
biggest decisions seem to be…what to do with marshall/pie/j.jones/theriot and how they relate to possible trades/FA for the #5 pitching slot, who’s guarenteed an OF slot and if anyone needs picking up, is there a SS upgrade worth having…and maybe a reliever.
the overhaul (signings and extensions) was a thing blown through the past 2 seasons and the core is pretty much set.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I agree…The team finished the season 34-33 in their last 67 games.
I know you agree. Go ahead and make your own sample size at home.
They still went 7 over in the second half after going only 1 over in the first half. If they play that way all season and get to 14 over, then it’s awfully hard to criticize this as an average team.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Rob G.:
“One more year of Hendry at least.”
For the most part, unfortunately you are right. But, new ownership could send him packing if the team starts out like they did this year, knowing they aren’t going to resign him.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:13 am
crunch:
“there’s so little work to be done with the 08 team its not worth firing hendry anyway…”
It is if you aren’t confident Hendry can do that
“little work”.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Wes:
“If they play that way all season and get to 14 over, then it’s awfully hard to criticize this as an average team.”
Yes, IF, but they didn’t.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:24 am
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3055382
Riviera suggesting he’ll test the market. I’d spend our money somewhere else but an option.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Manny,
We get it…….you don’t like Hendry and you see the Cubs as a ‘half-empty’ glass.
I don’t like Murton as a starter either except as a LF on a team out of contention.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:33 am
The thing, manny, is that I could show you 5 players saying that the reason that the team played poorly was because they struggled to adapt to Lou’s managing style. It took a couple months to get used to that and the team played poorly.
You’d still say that’s Hendry’s fault.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:35 am
http://mvn.com/mlb-redsox/2007.....-the-hate/
for the record I didn’t care for the Red Sox or their fans in 2004 either…
woe is us, the Evil Empire, blah, blah, blah. 2nd highest payroll just about every year. What’s the difference?
October 9th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Rob G, I was not advocating Silva or Clement. Certainly not Clement! But I was looking at free agent pitchers and I could see Silva on Hendry’s radar screen. Better than Marshall or even Gallagher? Probably not. Better than Marquis? Probably.
I just do not want this team to get complacent and stand pat. We got lucky with no major injuries to the rotation last year. And I do not want to see us throw dollars at Eyre based on a couple good months. Try to buy low on Fuentes, look at Trever Miller. Bid for the best CF/RFs out there. Yes, it is tweaking, but important tweaking.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:47 am
What’s it called when you fixate on one part of a picture without looking at the whole thing? Myopic?
“And look at Ron Galt’s numbers, the 3 worst teams over the past 5 years are in the Cubs division.”
And the best and fourth best team in the league and the league champions three out of five years… but the Cubs have had 3 playoff caliber teams in the last five years, and one that was competitive late into the summer. I guess you can blame him for Wood’s, Lee’s and Prior’s injuries. I certainly thought he should have brought in another starter before 2006, but name one GM in baseball who would have said ‘part ways with Wood and Prior’ after the ‘03 season and I will buy both you and him new crack pipes.
I like the Dodgers’ girl for the next best GM in the game (Ng?). If Hendry goes after ‘08 to let the new owner put his stamp on things, hopefully she will still be available.
————————————————————————–
Anyone else notice our right field is becoming our new third base? “The Cubs haven’t had a good right fielder since they got rid of Sosa following ‘04″… Wonder how long that one will be going.
__________________________________________
AZ Phil, you ducked my Instructional League question in #19.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I agree…The team finished the season 34-33 in their last 67 games.
========
and they finished 1-1 in their last two games
and they finished 2-4 in their last six games
and they finished 5-4 in their last nine games
…damn, this game is boring. (Can I say damn?)
October 9th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
“They had the opportunities and they didn’t do nothing with me,” he said, “so we’ll see what happens. … This is a business. Nothing against the New York Yankees.”
—
damn. that’s m. rivera, btw.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
if Indians care to throw some cash around, they might want to escape Joe Borowski as soon as possible with Rivera.
I imagine a few teams will be in on the bidding.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
“I like the Dodgers’ girl for the next best GM in the game (Ng?). If Hendry goes after ‘08 to let the new owner put his stamp on things, hopefully she will still be available.”
NO FUCKING WAY
October 9th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Chad’s no misogynist though…
and yeah Kim Ng.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
they might want to escape Joe Borowski…
=====
sounds like a perfect fit for the Giants (old and wobbly)
October 9th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Yeah, we know Chad, women and minorities can’t do certain things that white men can do, and vise versa.
Can we just stop this now before it goes any further?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
ng is still relative young, but she’s done it all…from the scrub jobs of an organization all the way up.
wsox, yanks, and dodgers organizations…that’s not exactly hanging with a crew of idiots to groom you.
she’s handled arb. cases, she’s been in negotiations, and she’s not a novelty item. she’s very professional…only like 38-40 or so, though…
October 9th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Making the playoffs doesn’t mean Hendry’s teams have been all that great. Out of 80 team-seasons, they rank T-17, T-13, T-45, 78, and T-27.
I would have fired him after 2006. It’s hard to make the case to do it now, after a season that’s perceived by just about everybody to be a success. Ask the next GM if he thinks 2007 was a success; (s)he’s the one who’s going to deal with all these contracts.
I don’t mean to ignite this debate, but perspective is frequently lost amid talk of playoff appearances and the “Hendry’s better than what we had before” line of non-argument.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
39 next month, fwiw…
October 9th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Soriano’s going to be a beast of a contract no doubt, Lilly maybe by year 3 or 4. If we get another pitcher that can bump Marquis to the #5 spot that he’s suited for it’s not too bad (okay a little bad).
Dero’s deal is pretty cheap and his position flexibility makes it hard to believe that’ll end up being a bad deal.
Aramis and Z, cheap deals for their ages and production, well especially Aramis.
If the Mark Grace version of Derrek continues then yeah, probably going to regret that one too.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Ron Galt:
“I would have fired him after 2006. It’s hard to make the case to do it now, after a season that’s perceived by just about everybody to be a success. Ask the next GM if he thinks 2007 was a success; (s)he’s the one who’s going to deal with all these contracts.
I don’t mean to ignite this debate, but perspective is frequently lost amid talk of playoff appearances and the “Hendry’s better than what we had before” line of non-argument.”
Very well said…Then add in the ownership question and “Teflon” Jim will slide by again.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
A woman will never get the respect that she would need in order to run a major professional sports franchise. Call me any name you want, but this much is true. Oh, ask yourself, with such a great track record, why hasn’t she gotten a GM job yet? I ain’t just me.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
To everyone flaming Rozner’s suggestion that the Cubs trade Aramis and sign ARod:
If the Cubs can make that move, they should do it in a heartbeat. It’s not a one-for-one trade. The Cubs would be massively upgrading 3B AND acquiring legitimate talent (possibly a stud RFer?) for Aramis. That would definitely make the team a lot better going into 2008.
Rozner’s article might have been harsh, but making that move is a no-brainer.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
There’s certainly a bit of an old boys network there among the GM’s but a lot of them are dropping by the roadside.
As crunch has noted, she’s been earning the respect of her peers for awhile and building relationships that are needed. Certainly an organization will be taking a chance that the MacPhail’s, Gillick’s and Wade’s might not deal with her, but I’ll be pretty surprised if she doesn’t get the call one day.
Is the assistant GM right now in LA or does she have another title?
October 9th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
#103 - Ron Galt
I don’t mean to ignite this debate, but perspective is frequently lost amid talk of playoff appearances and the “Hendry’s better than what we had before” line of non-argument.
—————————————
I’ll give you perspective…..
Five years of being the Cubs GM
Three years of being in playoff contention
Two playoff appearances
Is Hendry perfect? Hell no.
Could we do a lot worse? Hell yes.
Does he deserve to be fired? Not in my opinion.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Arod for Aramis plus $15 million and a bunch more years? It’s a wash at best unless you think the Cubs will turn into the Yanks payroll. I’d consider it depending on what we can get for Aramis but he does have an NTC I believe and Hendry usually gives those out to the players he doesn’t want trade anyway.
I think the bigger issue with the article were the opinions on Aramis being a bad influence on the team and such.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Doug,
The problem is not trading ARam to upgrade the team. the problem is WHY he wants Rammy traded. He doesn’t like the ‘no hustle’ and all the bullshit. he thinks that Rammy is a cancer on the team that is bringing the team down. Big difference.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
and yeah Arod is a better talent, I’m not saying that. But if the Cubs are going to operate on something resembling a budget, throwing $15 or so million at Arod or whatever the difference plus the years is going to cause problems elsewhere on the diamond.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
how to you take an arguement about aram’s D and somehow win it by comparing it to arod’s D?
seems to be a wash at best with aram having a better arm…
yeah, the bat…yeah…everyone knows all about that…is it worth getting rid of aram for it?
seems to be a better tactic to keep aram and spend the extra 10-15m (whatever) on a RF’r, reliever, whatever…
October 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
No more relievers, thanks.
———————————————————–
I think it’s safe to say baseball executives are 20 years behind the times when it comes to working with women, but by the late 80’s women were accepted by most in the workplace. She wouldn’t do it, because it would be career suicide, but wouldn’t be hard to slap a lawsuit on MLB for enforcing minority highering poclicies while ignoring women. You would think that every team would want to interview her just for that, though she may be turning down interviews looking for the right spot.
___________________________________________
I don’t want Arod for 3rd, I want him for short. Arod is not worth 15 million more than Aram as a third basemen.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One out of four NL teams goes to the playoffs every year. 2 out of 5 is above that average. Hendry was also inherited some contracts that were not so hot, as I recall. Scheurholz, as I recall, walked into a better situation than he did, Jocketty got lucky, Epstein has had $30 milion more in payroll, the Yankees minors were stacked when their GM took over. I agree that Hendry should have been fired after he made the horrid Maddux trade, and followed it up by giving three years to Marquis, but he’s not going to be fired, he did a fine job in the off-season and didn’t do anything particularly stupid during the year, he’s going to be around for at least 365 more days, so get used to it.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
so does ramirez have a no trade?
i would think the angels would be a great
place to play. werent they after him
last year
October 9th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
http://www.wearethepostmen.com.....sters-cry/
This is why you can’t have women in baseball. Crying? Over a division series loss? You have got to be kidding me!
October 9th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
re #116, we’re not trading him anywhere this off season.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
“This is why you can’t have women in baseball.”
you’re really good at lumping groups of people together as if theyre not individuals.
makes it easier for the dehumanizing talk if you dont give them a chance to be human, i guess.
ng’s work in corporate management has nothing to do with any reporter, male or female.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Not sure if this is 3/44, but legendary Cubs-hater, Milo Hamilton had a heart attack.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3055760
Despite hating the Cubs and Harry Caray, I hope he’s ok and lives long enough to see Carlos Lee reach his 400th pound.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
“I agree that Hendry should have been fired after he made the horrid Maddux trade”
I’ll be the first to admit that Izturis was horrible but that trade was not horrid. In the end he gave away nothing and got nothing. But what we did get was the possibility that Izturis could recapture what he once had. He didn’t.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Crunch that is not a reporter. That is the Yankee radio announcer. Big difference.
Are you trying to say that women are NOT more emotional then men? they are. not everyone but almost all. Are you saying that men are not WAY WAY WAY better at handling their emotions than women? they are. Across the board again. And these things matter.
October 9th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
“Crunch that is not a reporter. That is the Yankee radio announcer. Big difference.”
if that’s big then what’s the difference between a trained corporate manager and a yankee radio announcer?
we gotta measure that one with an ocean by that criteria.
“Are you trying to say…”
im trying to say there&#